Cheltenham Literature Festival is one of four major cultural festivals that take over the spa town each year, alongside its Jazz, Science and Music festivals. Established in 1949, it’s recognised as the world’s longest-running literature festival.
I first attended in 2017 to see The Girl on the Train author Paula Hawkins and have returned many times since. In an age of endless scrolling, there’s something especially valuable about spending time listening to ideas, stories and conversations unfold.
As an avid reader, a ten-day festival dedicated to books, writers and ideas is naturally a dream come true. But whether you’re a bibliophile or a self-confessed bibliophobe, there is far more here than novelists promoting their latest releases.
The programme changes each year, but typically stretches across fiction, politics, history, current affairs, food, comedy, memoir, wellbeing, popular culture and family entertainment. Events range from author interviews and panel discussions to workshops, live performances, spoken word, music and activities for children and young adults.
The next Cheltenham Literature Festival takes place from 9–18 October 2026.The full programme is announced ahead of the festival, so check the official listings for current speakers, prices and event times before travelling.
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Cheltenham Literature Festival at a glance
- Dates: 9–18 October 2026
- Main festival hub: Montpellier Gardens
- Entry to the Festival Village: Free
- Nearest train station: Cheltenham Spa
- Time to allow: A few hours for the village and one event, or a full day for two events and the free programme
What to expect at Cheltenham Literature Festival
Montpellier Gardens forms the main Festival Village, where you’ll find temporary event spaces, food and drink, the festival bookshop and much of the free programme.
You can enter the Festival Village without presenting a ticket and spend time there before, after or between events. Some talks take place within the village, while others are held at established venues elsewhere in central Cheltenham, including Cheltenham Town Hall and the Everyman Theatre.
Ticketed talks are generally more than an informal bookshop appearance. A speaker might be interviewed by a host, take part in a panel discussion or deliver a talk before answering questions from the audience. Some events are followed by book signings, although this is not guaranteed.
Free events at Cheltenham Literature Festival
The Festival Village in Montpellier Gardens is free to enter, and you only need a ticket for the individual paid events you choose to attend.
The free programme is a substantial part of Cheltenham Literature Festival. In 2025, the festival advertised more than 100 free events and activities, with free programming spread across Montpellier Gardens and other locations around Cheltenham.
Depending on the year, free activities can include:
- Talks and panel discussions
- Live music and spoken word
- Quizzes and open-mic sessions
- Arts, crafts and creative workshops
- Family trails and children’s activities
- Bookshop events
- Installations and drop-in experiences
- The town-wide Lit Crawl
The precise programme changes annually, but the scale of the free offer means it is possible to spend several hours at the festival without buying a ticket for a headline event.
VOICEBOX
VOICEBOX is the festival’s free platform for young people, aimed primarily at audiences aged 18–30. It brings together established names, rising talent, online creators and community changemakers through talks, workshops, discussion groups, spoken word, music and comedy.
Its programme extends well beyond conventional book discussions, covering subjects such as popular culture, politics, mental health, wellbeing, creativity, identity and wider social issues.
Past VOICEBOX programmes have featured everything from author and online creator Jack Edwards to Drag Queen Bingo, comedy, proof parties, campaigners, musicians and discussions involving familiar television and social-media personalities.
That variety shows how much broader VOICEBOX is than a conventional literature programme. It may include writers and books, but it can just as easily involve games, live entertainment, popular culture, workshops or conversations shaped by what younger audiences are discussing online.
The Huddle, The Snug and other free activities
The Huddle and The Snug are free spaces based within the festival’s Feast Café area.
In recent programmes, The Huddle and The Snug have provided additional free spaces within the festival’s Feast Café area.
The Huddle has centred on community, conversation and performance, with programming including storytelling, music, poetry, panels and post-event discussions.
The Snug has offered a smaller creative space for activities centred on books and language. Previous programmes have included badge-making, quill crafting, fantasy-map drawing, quizzes and other drop-in sessions.
Booking tickets and planning your day
Online booking requires a Cheltenham Festivals account. Events can be saved in the My Events section before booking, although saving an event does not reserve a ticket or guarantee availability. E-tickets are issued by email after purchase.
Popular speakers can sell out, so it’s sensible to identify your priority events before general booking opens. However, avoid booking so many consecutive sessions that you have no time to walk between venues, eat or explore the free programme.
For a full day, one or two paid events will usually leave enough time to enjoy the Festival Village rather than spending the entire visit moving from one auditorium to another.
Getting to Cheltenham Literature Festival
Cheltenham Spa railway station is approximately a 20-minute walk from the Festival Village. There is also a taxi rank outside the station.
Drivers can use the Park and Ride facilities at Arle Court or Cheltenham Racecourse. Central car parks are also available, but spaces close to Montpellier Gardens can be limited during busy festival periods.
Several local bus routes stop near Montpellier Gardens, although routes and timetables should be checked before travelling.
Remember to plan your journey around the venue listed on your first ticket. Montpellier Gardens is the main festival hub, but it may not be where your first event is taking place.
Making the most of Cheltenham Literature Festival
Choose one or two events you genuinely want to attend, but leave enough room in the day to explore Montpellier Gardens and browse the free programme.
Check what is happening at VOICEBOX, The Huddle and The Snug. Allow time for the bookshop, food and any unexpected activities you discover once you arrive.
The festival is undoubtedly a major event for book lovers, but its real appeal is broader. Across ten days, it brings together books, debate, performance, comedy, popular culture and family entertainment in a format that allows you to spend as much or as little as you choose.
- For a very different book-focused day out, my guide to 66 Book Club covers the warehouse’s opening times, queues, parking and whether the 70% discounts are worth the journey.
